Litostroj Engineering tests turbine for Orlík power plant modernization

Litostroj Engineering is conducting critical testing on a model of a reverse Francis turbine in Blansko, Czechia, as part of a major modernization project for the Orlík hydroelectric power station. This project, valued at approximately eight billion CZK, represents the largest construction in Czech hydro-energy in the last thirty years.

The modernization aims to transform half of the current Orlík units into a bidirectional system, turning the facility into the country’s fourth large-scale pumped-storage power plant. During periods of excess energy in the grid, water will be pumped from the lower Kamýk reservoir into the Orlík reservoir, allowing for the storage of up to 750 MWh of energy—enough to cover the daily consumption of roughly 80,000 Czech households. The stored energy can then be released back into the system when electricity demand increases.

To ensure the performance of the final five-meter diameter turbine, specialists at the Litostroj Engineering hydraulic laboratory are using a 13-times smaller model to simulate various operational scenarios and verify hydraulic properties, efficiency, and stability. The full-scale turbine will be manufactured at a branch plant in Slovenia.